The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Category: News

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  • COVID 19: Apprehension, tension grips both teachers, parents and other stakeholders as schools resume today

    Anxiety and fears have gripped both teachers, parents and other stakeholders as schools resume today amid the spike in the second wave of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

     

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), yesterday, expressed fears about the safety of their members returning to classrooms nationwide against the backdrop of the frightening number of cases recorded daily in recent times.

     

    National President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, and ASUP National President, Mr. Anderson Ezeh, said from indications, there were no preparations on ground to show that COVID-19 precautions were in place to ensure safe resumption of schools.

     

    Prof. Ogunyemi said there was no sufficient evidence on ground to show full compliance of COVID-19 protocols as released by the Federal Government in 2019. He picked out two conditions that must be met before resumption of schools, which are readiness on part of schools and assessment of compliance by stakeholders such as government officials, staff unions and students.

     

    He said: ‘’We are demanding that government should take responsibility. We have proposed to government to try virtual learning if physical learning will not be possible. In most schools, infrastructure that would drive online learning are not available.

     

    ‘’Our members are ready to work. We want government to guarantee their health and safety. As we speak now our members are being owed four to 10 months salaries. Our members are not ready to work on empty stomach.’’

     

    Ezeh said ASUP has been constant with its position that government and institutions are not ready for resumption, adding there is nothing on ground for safe resumption. Apart from questionnaires sent and filled, there is nothing on ground to guarantee the safety of lecturers and students.’’

     

    He said ASUP members have been directed that any polytechnic where safety measures on COVID-19 is not adequate, they should not go for lectures. The union leader said government had all the time to provide safety facilities in the institutions, but failed to do so and are asking schools to reopen.

     

    The Federal Government want to turn our members and students to guinea pig, ‘’why is government directing schools to reopen when COVID-19 figures are high. This does not make sense.’’

     

    President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, said parents are already to provide basic safety needs of their wards, stating ‘’we have directed all state PTA to monitor the resumption and ensure safety measures are met by schools and parents.’’

     

    He said NAPTAN is desperate to have the children back to schools and appealed to government to ensure schools are provided with safety facilities to protect teachers and support the schools to ensure compliance of the protocols.

     

    President, National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, said the decision to throw Nigerian children back to school was wrong and should be reversed as quickly as possible, expressing fear that such decision could herald unprecedented disaster.

     

    “The decision is a disaster in the waiting. Obviously, the basic safety tools that would make schools safe for children are completely absent in most schools in Nigeria particularly in public schools. Did government screen the teachers and students ahead of resumption?

     

    “Countries of the world are not in hurry to throw children into the schools. United Kingdom school system is locked, so is United States and Canada. So where are we getting our yardstick from?.

     

    “Over 700 people were infected the last time NYSC camp was opened. We have observed that most of the screenings going on in Nigeria, particularly in hospitals, are for people who are seeking clearance to travel abroad.

     

    “In health care facilities, COVID-19 is spreading with little or no checks. Recently, over 25 doctors were infected with COVID-19 in Nasarawa State University Teaching Hospital. In University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, over 20 doctors were infected including pediatricians, and so they would spread the virus among their families.”

     

    He maintained that NARD is opposed to the reopening of the schools, suggesting that online classes should continue as being the case in other countries of the world battling COVID-19 pandemic.

     

    But President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Otubela Abayomi, confirmed to Daily Sun that its members have been properly sensitised as regards the COVID-19 safety protocols as advised by NCDC.

     

    “Our members throughout the country have already complied with the safety protocols. They have provided the needed items in the schools. We have also held seminars and trainings for all the stakeholders within the school system. Teaching and non teaching staff were engaged separately on what to do as regards the safety protocols.

     

    “We also engaged with the pupils/students on their expected roles. Also, parents were also engaged on their own responsibilities. We set up a committee called COVID-19 Protocol Compliance Officers (COPCO). They move round the school to check the level of compliance with the safety protocols. Their job is to remind and call the attention of the school authorities to any breach of the protocols.”

     

    In addition to that, he said that NAPPS has directed schools to adopt staggered resumption, particularly schools with high population, so they could spread the classes into morning and afternoon session, even though available data indicated that majority of the private schools have fewer population.

     

    He also confirmed that members have adopted the option of spending few hours in school as against spending about seven to eight hours in school. “Students would be spending about four to five hours in school. We have also adopted staggered break so that all the children would not come out at the same time for break,” he said.

     

    Delta cancels transfer of 4,500 teachers

    Delta Government has announced cancellation of recent transfer of over 4,500 secondary school teachers across various communities.

    The cancellation, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Patrick Ukah, said, is as a result of increasing rate of COVID-19 infections.

     

    Ukah, in a statement, explained that the pandemic has already affected the adjusted academic calendar, adding that transferring teachers at this time would lead to further loss of academic hours as the affected teachers would need time to adjust and settle down in their new schools.

     

    Rivers tasks media on public enlightenment on pandemic

    Meanwhile, Rivers has charged the media to intensify partnership with the state government in the the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through aggressive public awareness strategy.

     

    Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, who gave the charge at a meeting with media executives, expressed worry at the spike in the spread of the pandemic in the state, saying it needed increased media enlightenment campaigns.

     

    Nsirim stressed the need to carry out an aggressive public enlightenment programme to effectively educate and inform residents of the state on the need to strictly observe all the COVID-19 protocols as measures to protect themselves from the deadly pandemic.

    “As major stakeholders in the state, it is important that we see this as part of our corpor ate social responsibility to begin to do something very fast.”

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • NNPC: Nigeria generated $120.49m in September from oil exports

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Sunday announced a total export receipt for crude oil and gas valued at $120.49m for the month of September 2020.

    NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Kennie Obateru, said the figure was contained in the September 2020 edition of the corporation’s Monthly Financial and Operations Report.

    He said in a statement issued in Abuja that the $120.49m crude oil and gas export receipt was a 16.28 per cent improvement on the $100.88m posted in August 2020.

    The report showed that out of the figure, proceeds from crude oil amounted to $85.40m, while gas and miscellaneous receipts stood at $25.31m and $9.78m respectively.

    The September 2020 MFOR also indicated a trading surplus of N28.38bn, lower than the N29.6bn surplus in August 2020.

    The reduction in surplus, according to the report, was as a result of lower contribution from the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, which recorded zero crude oil lifting from the Okono Okpoho facility during the month due to ongoing repairs.

    Other NNPC subsidiaries including the Integrated Data Services Limited, National Engineering and Technical Company Limited, Nigerian Gas Marketing Company, Petroleum Products Marketing Company and NNPC Retail recorded 268, 234, 21, 422 and 41 per cent trading surpluses respectively over their previous month’s performance.

    In the gas sector, a total of 223.82 billion cubic feet of natural gas was produced in the month under review, translating to an average daily production of 7,460.8 million standard cubic feet per day.

    From September 2019 to September 2020, a total of 3,039.05bcf of gas was produced, representing an average daily production of 7,730.35mmscfd during the period.

    Period-to-date production from Joint Ventures, Production Sharing Contracts and NPDC contributed about 69.1 per cent, 20.29 per cent and 10.61 per cent respectively to the total national gas production.

    Out of the 221.91bcf of gas supplied in September 2020, a total of 140.45bcf was commercialised, consisting of 36.37bcf and 104.08bcf for the domestic and export markets respectively.

    This translates to a total supply of 1,212.17mmscfd of gas to the domestic market and 3,469.45mmscfd of gas supplied to the export market for the month.

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    This implies that 63.29 per cent of the average daily gas produced was commercialised, while the balance of 36.71 per cent was re-injected, used as upstream fuel gas or flared.

    Gas flare rate was 6.66 per cent for the month under review, representing 492.93mmscfd when compared with average gas flare rate of 5.84 per cent i.e. 439.90mmscfd for the period of September 2019 to September 2020.

     

    To ensure effective supply and distribution of Premium Motor Spirit across the country, a total of 0.59 billion litres of PMS translating to 19.59 million litres/day was supplied for the month in the downstream sector.

    During the period under review, 21 pipeline points were vandalised. This represents about 43 per cent decrease from the 37 points recorded in August 2020.

    Of this figure, Mosimi Area accounted for 90 per cent of the vandalised points, while Port Harcourt Area accounted for the remaining 10 per cent.

    The NNPC stated that it was collaborating with the local communities and other stakeholders to reduce and eventually eliminat e the menace of pipeline vandalism.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • 2023 Presidency: Borno State governor reveals why power should shift to the South

     

    The Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum, said on Friday that for the sake of fairness, power should return to the south in 2023. He faulted the suspicion that any part of the country could not be trusted with power, perhaps for the fear of secession.

     

     

    He stressed that there was a need for fairness in the country, adding that marginalisation had become the loudest concern from the citizenry.

     

    He spoke in Lagos on Friday at the 17th Chief Gani Fawehinmi annual lecture, themed ‘The constitutional history of Nigeria’s dysfunction: Any pathway to indivisibility and common progress?’ which was an event organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, to celebrate the life and times of the late Fawehinmi. The governor stated that one of the pathways to common progress was for fairness to reign in the country.

     

    Zulum, who was accompanied by some commissioners and special advisers, explained that power should shift to other sections of the country.

     

    The incumbent President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) is from the North-Western state of Katsina and is serving his second and final term in office.

     

    The governor said, “I’m persuaded that other sections of the country should be given the opportunity to lead in 2023, why not? It is constitutional.”

     

    Zulum, who reeled out the criteria set by the constitution for anyone to contest the Presidency, as contained in Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), asked all the persons from the South-East and South-South at the event to rise. He then told them that once they met the four conditions stated in the Section, they were also qualified to contest the presidency.

     

    The section reads, “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if (a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) he has attained the age of forty years; (c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and (d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”

     

    Speaking further on the issue of fairness as regard 2023, he stated, “Consequently, my response to the question posed by the theme of this programme is that yes, there are pathways to indivisibility and common progress; we must collectively agree that we need to do more to demonstrate fairness to every constituent part that made up this country. That is the constitution.

     

    “We need to understand that pedestrian suspicion is not an empirical or legal reason to deny any section of the country from participation in the leadership of this country. We are fast moving towards a point of inevitable tension.

     

    “One of the loudest concerns from the public is marginalisation. Therefore, we must as a matter of necessity create an environment that is conducive for everyone. People must feel the impact of the government and that government is responding.”

     

     

    The governor also said south-easterners should negotiate for power rather than expect others to leave it for them.

     

    He said, “To our friends and brothers in the South-South and South-East particularly, only God gives power but you have to negotiate for power. Negotiation becomes easier when you make friends across the divide. If we negotiate for power, we don’t always get everything we want, but we will normally mention every clause th at covers everything we need.

    “I said this because I have heard many people say ‘they don’t want to give us power’ but assumptions and projections will never actualise your aspirations. We must all remember that God gives power but human beings negotiate for it. Every interested party must be prepared to negotiate for it.”

     

    The governor also expressed reservation over the age limit of 40 as the minimum to contest the presidency, noting that in many countries around the world, people below 40 had become world leaders.

     

    He said, “Let me state here that I have a problem with the age limit set at 40, because whatever is the logic behind it, it is difficult to consider it valid in contemporary times.”

     

    He cited several examples of presidents or prime ministers who got to power under the age of 40, including President Emmanuel Macron, who became the President of France at the age of 39; Sanna Marin, who became the Prime Minister of Finland at 34; and Joseph Muscat who became the Prime Minister of Malta at the age of 39, among many others.

     

    “We must review our constitution to reflect this current reality in our country and provide greater access to the greatest number of our citizens,” he added.

     

    He admonished Nigerians to familiarise themselves with the 1999 Constitution, saying even though there are issues with the document, he believed strongly that it could still produce good results when faithfully discharged.

     

    He added, “If governance were to be a religion, the constitution would be its holy book. You know your Bible, you know your Quran, know your constitution. Gani Fawehinmi fought for a people’s constitution. We cannot let him down. Let us work to build bridges and drive a people-oriented constitution that would make Nigeria better for everyone.

    “We must make the constitution of Nigeria work for all Nigerians and not just some Nigerians. Our system of government must give people a voice while delivering services to them, including security of lives and property.”

     

    The Chairman, NBA, Ikeja Branch, Mr Bartholomew Aguegbodo, said the event was to celebrate the life of late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), whom he described as a great and courageous fighter who stood for what he believed to be right. He lamented that public interest litigation, which Gani did passionately, seemed to have become a thing of the past.

     

    He added, “This is a challenge to all of us in practice. Also, this occasion reminds us all that the man we honour today had an idea he lived for; that legal practice is not only for money-making but also standing for the oppressed.”

     

    Also, the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Kazeem Alogba, said the judiciary was always ready to associate with the good programmes of the NBA, as he commended the Ikeja branch of the association for immortalising Fawehinmi.

    Represented by Justice Lateefat Folami, the CJ said, “The Chief Judge commends the activities of the NBA for immortalising a great lawyer like Chief Gani Fawehinmi. He played a big role in developing the legal jurisprudence of this great nation, like the production of the Nigerian Weekly Law Reports, which is a very great resource and legacy Chief Fawehinmi left for us. There is no good lawyer that doesn’t have NWLR in their library.”

     

    Others at the event included the immediate past President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo; Mr Femi Falana (SAN); former NBA Vice-President, Mr Monday Ubani; spokesperson for the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin; Executive Director, Enough is Enough, Ms Yemi Adamolekun; Folarin Fal ana, aka Falz the Bahd Guy, and others.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

     

  • IOCs’ sells their stake in oil block to Tony Elumelu’s firm for $1.1bn

    Three international oil companies operating in Nigeria have sold their combined 45 per cent interest in Oil Mining Lease 17 and related assets in the Eastern Niger Delta to TNOG Oil and Gas Limited, an integrated energy company founded by Mr Tony Elumelu.

     

    Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited assigned their interests of 30 per cent, 10 per cent and five per cent respectively in the lease to TNOG Oil and Gas.

     

    SPDC announced in a statement on Friday the completion of the sale of its 30 per cent interest in OML 17 and associated infrastructure to TNOG Oil and Gas for a consideration of $533m.

     

    The oil major said the completion followed the receipt of all approvals from the relevant authorities of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

     

    TNOG Oil and Gas is a related company of Heirs Holdings Limited and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, both of which have Elumelu as their chairman.

     

    “A total of $453m was paid at completion with the balance to be paid over an agreed period. SPDC will retain its interest in the Port Harcourt Industrial and Residential Areas, which fall within the lease area,” the SPDC said.

     

    The company said it was committed to transfer OML 17 in an orderly and responsible manner to the new owner, which would help to provide a sustainable long-term plan to unlock its full potential.

     

    “As with previous divestments, we will facilitate a successful transition to new ownership. Shell has been in Nigeria for over 60 years and remains committed to a long-term presence here,” said the Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chairman of Shell companies in Nigeria, Mr Osagie Okunbor.

     

    Heirs Holdings said in a statement that TNOG Oil and Gas would have sole operatorship of the asset.

     

    It described the transaction as one of the largest oil and gas financings in Africa in more than a decade, with a financing component of $1.1bn provided by a consortium of global and regional banks and investors.

    It said the deal also involved Schlumberger as a technical partner and the trading arm of Shell as an offtaker.

    OML 17 has a current production capacity of 27,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and, 2P reserves of 1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with an additional one billion barrels of oil equivalent resources of further exploration potential, according to the statement.

     

    The Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Elumelu, said, “We have a very clear vision: creating Africa’s first integrated energy multinational, a global quality business, uniquely focused on Africa and Africa’s energy needs.

     

    “The acquisition of such a high-quality asset, with significant potential for further growth, is a strong statement of our confidence in Nigeria, the Nigerian oil and gas sector and a tribute to the extremely high-quality management team that we have assembled.

     

    “As a Nigerian, and more particularly an indigene of the Niger Delta region, I understand well our responsibilities that come with stewardship of the asset, our engagement with communities and the strategic importance of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria. We see significant benefits from integrating our production, with our ability to power Nigeria, through Transcorp, and deliver value across the energy value chain.”

     

    Elumelu thanked Shell, Total and ENI for the professionalism of the process, the Federal Government, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and the NNPC for  the confidence placed in the company.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Armed Forces Day: PDP and APC butt heads over the issue of insecurity in Nigeria

    The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party on Friday clashed over the worsening insecurity in Nigeria.

    This was as the nation marked the 2021 edition of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

    While the APC urged Nigerians to avoid playing politics with the issue of security, the PDP advised the APC to end propaganda and secure Nigerians lives.

    The APC made its appeal to Nigerians in a statement titled, “#AFRD2021: APC Hails Military Successes, Remembers Fallen Heroes,” signed by the National Secretary of the party, Senator Akpanudoedehe.

    The statement commended officers and men of the military for laying down their lives in the defence of Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

    The statement read in part, “We congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on many visible and verifiable achievements of the military in the ongoing fight against insurgency and violent crimes in Nigeria as contained in the compendium: “Security Checklist: As Nigeria marks Armed Forces Remembrance Day’’, released to the public on Thursday.

     

    “From the country’s 30-month civil war which ended on January 15, 1970 to the fight against terrorism, banditry and other emerging violent crimes, many servicemen have paid the supreme price for our safety, peace and unity.

    “We pray for the protection of the living and remember the departed heroes and their families left behind.

    “From international peace keeping missions to addressing security incidents within the country and overall discharge of its constitutional responsibilities, the military has undoubtedly made the country proud.

     

    “Several innovations and inventions by the Armed Forces have resulted in the production of military hardware, infrastructural development, restructuring and reorganisation of its operations.

    The party credited the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), for investing in military hardware, intelligence and tactical training for servicemen.

    Akpanudoedehe also said, “We must collectively shun the practice of politicising issues of security and the efforts of our security services particularly the Armed Forces to keep the country safe. We should rather support their efforts to further degrade the capacity of terrorists and other criminal elements.

     

    “We invite all Nigerians to rededicate themselves to the patriotic call contained in our national anthem which reads in part: “The labours of our heroes past, shall never be in vain”.

     

    In response, the PDP which also paid glowing tributes to Nigeria’s fallen heroes said Nigerians deserve better than what the Buhari regime was currently listing as achievements in the area of security.

     

    The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan told Saturday PUNCH, “Our gallant military men and women deserve all the accolades today and always for the sacrifices they made in the past and they are making today under very difficult conditions, they deserve better.”

    Ologbondiyan further said, “How does President Buhari want an unmerited pass mark knowing that under his watch, bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and vandals, who have been pushed to the fringes before he took over in 2015, have now resurged, taking communities hostage, raping our women, beheading our compatriots and foisting a reign of terror to the extent that our nation ranked as the third country with the highest level of terrorism in 2019, after Iran and Afghanistan?”

    Meanwhile, the doves, otherwise known as white pigeons, released by Buhari at the Armed Forces Remembrance Day ceremony, refused to fly despite multiple attempts by the President thereby sparking a debate on social media on Friday.

     

    The President had opened the bird cage at the National Arcade, picked up one of the doves and thrown it into the air but the bird landed atop the cage and refused to fly.

     

    Buhari, who was eager to let the white pigeons fly, opened the roof of the cage in a bid to send them all out but the birds remained adamant and decided to sit on top of the cage’s roof.

    The President, who appeared tired of trying, soon left the birds and returned to his seat. Moments after the President had left, however, some of the birds flew.

    The ritual of releasing doves is to commemorate the life of a departed loved one and is common at significant events like funerals or memorials. It also signifies peace.

     

    A former Presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Adamu Garba, said the birds should be eaten if they cannot do what they were trained to do.

    Social media personality, Morris Monye,said the Department of State Services would have arrested the pigeons for embarrassing the President if they could.

    A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, who is a known critique of the President, also tweeted, “Hmmm. Even the pigeons in Nigeria.”

    Governors pledge better welfare for soldiers, families

    State governors have reiterated their commitment to the welfare of soldiers in recognition of their selfless sacrifices to the country.

    The governors paid glowing tributes to the military personnel at the Nigerian Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration on Friday.

    Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who performed the wreath laying ceremony, at the Remembrance Arcade, Tafawa Balewa Square, commended officers in the military, Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Legion for their efforts in protecting the country against external aggression and keeping the peace internally.

    “I want to congratulate and commend all of our officers in the military and also the Nigerian Police, but, more especially, men of the (Nigerian) Legion and everybody that has participated in this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance (Day) ceremony, the parade, men on guard and everything,” Sanwo-Olu said in a statement titled, Armed Forces Remembrance Day: Sanwo-Olu commends nation’s security officers,’ and signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile.

    In Kwara State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, called on Nigerians to continue to offer support to pray for the fallen heroes and support their families.

    “As you know, the government is battling with the resources on all fronts. Like the President said, he would continue to meet the demands of men of service,” he said in Ilorin, the state capital.

    Similarly, his Ondo State counterpart, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, called on the military to collaborate with the South-West Security Network, also known as Amotekun, in tackling insecurity in the state.

    Akeredolu said, “We will continue to give loans without collaterals through the Ondo State micro credit agencies for the widows left behind and other qualified dependants of our fallen heroes who are into small, micro businesses to start up or boost their businesses.”

    Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state urged Nigerian to set aside their differences and form a united nation.

    Speaking at a ceremony held at Heroes Square, Owerri, Uzodinma, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku, said the country had the capacity to be great.

    On his part, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, said his administration had rehabilitated a total of 168 blocks of flats for military officers living at Ibagwa barracks in the Abak Local Government Area of the state.

    Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia advised Nigerians to show greater commitments towards the task of building a greater and better society.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Sir Ude OKo Chukwu, at the ceremony in Umuahia, promised to continue to support the military and other security agencies in the state.

    Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, commended the fallen heroes for laying their lives for the nation and praised serving military personnel for risking their lives to keep the country safe.

    Similarly, the Katsina State Government paid tribute to the Nigerian military for its efforts in safeguarding the state.

    In Cross River State, Governor Ben Ayade acknowledged the sacrifices of ex-service men whom he

    His Bayelsa State counterpart, Douye Diri, also lauded departed soldiers for their selfless service to the nation.

    But the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, urged Nigerians to be united and pray for peace and always live in peace with one another, irr espective of religion and political differences, for the overall development of the country.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Northern leaders and eastern leaders warns Nigerians against repeating mistakes that led to the previous civil war

     

    A former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi; the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah and the Northern Elders Forum said on Thursday that Nigeria was repeating its mistakes that led to the civil war which lasted from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970.

     

    Speaking at a webinar, they cautioned that unless something urgent was done, the aftermath of the ongoing injustice, poor governance and leadership failure in the country would be worse than what was experienced during the civil war.

     

    The civil war was fought between the government of Nigeria, headed by the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), and the secessionist state of Biafra, led by the late Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu, from July 6, 1967 to January 15, 1970, during which over one million persons reportedly lost their lives.

     

    The online conference with the theme, ‘The 2nd Never Again Conference: 51 years after the Nigerian-Biafran civil war,’ was hosted by Nzuko Umunna, an Igbo Think Tank, in partnership with Ovation International and Njenje Media, while a prominent economist, Prof Pat Utomi, was the chairman, planning committee.

     

    In his brief remarks, Obi said, “We are still travelling on the same road to the same destination. The road has got more bumpy, worse than it was than when they (Nigerians) travelled that road before. If you compare what is happening today and what happened then, what brought Nigeria to that destination in the past has actually got worse today.

     

    “All of those things that made them to participate in what happened are still very much today and getting worse, starting from incompetent leadership with total lack of capacity and character.

     

    You have a situation where corruption is worse today than it was then. Unemployment is far worse today when you have millions of young people in their productive age not knowing where the next meal would come from and the government is not thinking.”

     

    Obi said the elite had to come together and see how to pull the country out of the current mess or the situation would consume everyone, as he likened the current leadership challenge in the country to using Molue (rickety big yellow buses in Lagos now phased out)  drivers in Formula 1, a motor racing world championship.

     

    He added, “We cannot continue with the way we are today; across the entire country, from local government to the highest level, we have incompetent leadership and they don’t have the capacity to solve the country’s problem. You don’t go to a Formula 1 competition with a Molue driver.

     

    “These vehicles of the Nigerian state are being driven by Molue drivers across the country and that is why you have too many accidents. We need to have the proper people who are competent and can do the job. If you don’t have it, you have a problem.”

     

    Kukah, who was the keynote speaker, explained that Nigeria had yet to learn any lesson from the civil war, adding that the frustration and feeling of injustice by a section of the country after the war were still rife till today despite Gowon’s ‘No victor, no vanquished’ statement.

     

    He stated, “I was told of a late general who said were the civil war to occur again, he would fight on the other side. There is a lot of resentment, anxiety and frustration and the feeling is that we have not learnt any lesson.

     

    “About 51 years after the war, we still hear the kind of agitation that ordinarily with good governance, honesty, commitment, devotion, dedication, focus and right leadership; we should have put behind us. Unfortunately, these anxieties are still with us.”

    Similarly, the spokesperson for the NEF, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said at the webinar that unless something dramatic was done, things would get worse. He lamented that the post-civil war elite had substantially killed the country even more than those who launched the country into the “disaster” that ended in 1970.

     

    He added, “What do we need to do? I think we need to recognise the fact that as we speak in 2021, this nation has never been worse than it is, not even during the civil war. I’m sorry for those who felt civil war was the worst disaster; it wasn’t. Today is the worst disaster we are living in.”

     

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    According to him, Nigeria has a very poor leadership that doesn’t care about Nigerians. He stated, “You have massive insecurity; no fresh ideas; you have leadership that is more interested in having power than governance.”

     

    Talking about the possibility of another civil war, he stated, “We need to recognise that when we say never again, it can still happen again. Let’s not deceive ourselves, it can happen again. In fact, (something) worse can happen.”

    At the conference, Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said the problem of the country was the constitution, adding that the injustice in the system had been fuelled by the President, whom he said ensured that northerners dominate key institutions in the country at the detriment of other regions.

     

    He stated, “I don’t want this country to break; I have contributed to the unity of this country before Buhari was born. Since 1950s we have been talking of a balanced constitution. In 1979, I spent one year in Maiduguri, campaigning for the UPN so we could have a united country. I was already a lawyer and there was peace in the western region so I didn’t have to go there, but we wanted the country to be together. So, when we talk about a united country, many of them have not contributed half of what some of us have.

     

    “If today, they agree to restructure the country back to true federalism, there will be no agitation from any quarter, because all the problems we are having now are the products of the imposed constitution. Let us face it.”

     

    Also speaking, an elder statesman Yakasai, who commended the organisers of the event, said he had never been a believer in the “destruction” of Nigeria. “This is a democracy in which the views of the majority would always prevail while the minorities have a right to say whatever they want to say,” he added.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • The middlebelt reacts as Buhari describes boko haram attacks as occasional

     

    The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, described the Boko Haram attacks in the North-East as occasional problems.

    He, therefore, appealed to his critics to be fair when criticising his regime. The President said they should compare his achievements with those of his predecessors and the problems he inherited.

     

    The  President, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina,  said these while receiving the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, Rev. Yakubu Pam, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

     

    In the statement titled “Criticise us fairly, President Buhari appeals to Nigerian elite,” Buhari asked his critics to consider the resources available to the Federal Government under his watch while criticising him.

     

    But groups, including the Middle Belt Forum, Chibok community, the Borno Concerned Elders and Coalition of Northern Groups,  in their separate reactions, faulted the President.

     

    Appealing to his critics,  Buhari said, “Those criticising the administration should be fair in terms of reflecting on where we were before we came, where we are now and what resources are available to us and what we have done with the limited resources.

     

    “We had to struggle paying debts, investing in road repairs and rebuilding, to revamp the rail and try to get power. This is what I hope the elite, when they want to criticise will use to compare notes.”

     

    Buhari also gave his regime a pass mark on the security situation in the North-East.

     

    Although he admitted that there were still what he called “occasional Boko Haram problems,” the President said there was a lot of improvements when compared to the past experience of the residents of the affected states.

     

    He added, “What was the situation when we came? Try and ask people from Borno or from Adamawa for that matter and Yobe. What was the condition before we came and what is the condition now?

     

    “Still, there are problems in Borno and Yobe, there are occasional Boko Haram problems, but they know the difference because a lot of them moved out of their states and moved to Kaduna, Kano and here (in Abuja).”

     

    But a Chibok community leader and  spokesman for  Kibaku Area Development Association, Dr Manasseh Allen, dismissed the claim by the President that security had improved in the North-East.

     

    In an interview with The PUNCH in Abuja, Allen said attacks and abductions were happening daily in the communities in the region.

     

    He said the President should visit the region to have first-hand knowledge of happenings rather than relying on what he was being told by the security chiefs.

     

    Allen stated, “What is his (Buhari’s) definition of security improvement? We don’t know. Maybe, that is the first thing we need to talk about. We want a stop to people’s lives being taken indiscriminately.

     

    “People are paying ransoms to abductors every day. A few days ago, we raised ransom to free our aged father-in-law and the President is sitting there in the villa, he doesn’t even know what is happening in Abuja. Let him go to the North-East and see for himself whether security has improved or not.”

     

    The National President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Porgu,   dismissed the President’s statement as untrue.

     

    Porgu, who is an indigene of Chibok in Borno State, who spoke to The PUNCH  in Jos, said security situation in the country had worsened since Buhari assumed office.

     

    ‌

    He stated, “I think he is being misled by those he entrusted with the security of the country, if not he would not be saying what he is saying. Let him visit Borno and all those areas that he claimed had improved security wise and see that that things have actually generated for the worse.”

     

    On his part, the Dean of Borno Concerned Elders, Prof. Khalifa Dikwa, in an interview with The PUNCH, said the President’s statement was not true.

     

    He stated, “When people were killed at Auno (in Borno State) last year,  instead of the President to commiserate with the people, he pushed the blame on them that they refused to comply with instructions.

     

    “He did not do his investigation.  He is not being told the truth. The Presidency is not real. There is no Presidency. They are only reactive. They don’t take actions on situations until the people act.

     

    “Those people are not telling him the truth.  Although  Maiduguri is safe compared to Kaduna and Katsina states,  but you cannot go beyond five kilometres from Maiduguri town. The city is safe, but what about the villages?”

     

    On his part, the CNG spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman,  in a chat with The PUNCH, said he was not surprised by the President’s comment.

     

    He said, “Nigerians must by now have become used to the present leadership that shies  away from its responsibility by refusing to look into the huge demands that had been made for the President to address serious shortfalls in nation’s policing and security institutions.”

     

    The Director (Publicity and Advocacy) of the  Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said Buhari was removed from reality.

     

    He stated, “If he is still living under the illusion that any Nigerian is more secure today than they were five or six years ago, it will explain his resistance to improve his leadership of the fight against widespread insecurity.

     

    “I wish there is a way the President will hear  from the people of Borno and Yobe states what their security situation is. But he will not because he prefers to create his version of our circumstances which is quite possibly reinforced by those with responsibility to tell him.

     

    “The fact is that our fellow citizens living in Borno and Yobe states live constantly under attacks on roads, in homes, at work and wherever they are. Millions, more in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger and many parts of Nigeria, have never known insecurity  until this President assumed the responsibility to protect us.”

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • FG bans large gatherings such as assemblies and visiting days, orders schools to observe covid 19 guidelines

     

    The Federal Government, on Thursday, banned overcrowding and large gatherings such as assemblies and visiting days, as schools reopen on Monday.

    It also put limitations to class sizes and hostel occupancy and asked the schools to ensure compulsory wearing of face masks by all students, teachers and workers, as well ensure temperature checks and put hand washing facilities in strategic locations in all schools

     

    The government also asked the school authorities to ensure constant supply of water and sanitisers, and make available functional health clinics with facilities for isolation and transportation of suspected cases to medical facilities.

     

    The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, gave the conditions in a statement by the Director of Press in the Federal Ministry of Education, Ben Bem Goong.

     

    READ ALSO: Three LASUCOM students test positive for COVID-19

     

    According to him, the decision to maintain the resumption date is the aftermath of “extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, including state governors, commissioners of education, proprietors and heads of institutions, staff unions and students.”

     

    Adamu told parents and the respective institutions to ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

     

    The statement read in part, “Sequel to the hint given during the press briefing on January 12, 2021 for the review of the proposed resumption date of January 18, 2021, the Federal Ministry of Education has undertaken a comprehensive appraisal of the situation.

     

    “After extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders, including state governors, commissioners of education, proprietors and heads of institutions, staff unions and students, the consensus of opinion is that the resumption date of January 18 should remain, while parents and respective institutions must ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

     

    “These measures, which are to ensure safe reopening of schools for academic activities, will be subject to constant review as we urge teachers, school administrators and other stakeholders to ensure strict compliance.”

     

    When asked how the government intends to curtail further spread of the virus with the planned resumption, Adamu school authorities would be asked to ensure strict compliance with existing and fresh guidelines that would be released.

     

    He added, “We shall be warning stakeholders, particularly school authorities to ensure strict compliance with protocols.

     

    “For instance, we will have no choice than to enforce compulsory use of face masks by teachers and students.

     

    “We will also make it clear that we shall be reviewing the situation from time to time after resumption with a view to taking necessary decisions.”

     

    [YOU MAY ALSO LIKE] Large crowds: NIMC lists 50 NIN enrolment centres in Lagos, Abuja

     

    Recall that the United Nations Children’s Fund had called on governments across the world to spare no effort to keep schools open or prioritise them in reopening plans despite the increasing cases of COVID-19.

     

    UNICAL inaugurates COVID-19 task force

     

    The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, has inaugurated the COVID-19 Task Force Central Team for the institution ahead of resumption.

     

    The team, which is headed by Dr Kingsley Akaba, has Dr Paul Odey, Dr Leku Odey, Dr Alexander Peter, Dr Bassey Ubi and Mrs Josephine Bisong as members.

     

    While inaugurating the task force, Obi charged members “to coordinate all the terms of reference as established by the Presidential Task Force and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control in the campus.”

    She also said the taskforce would oversee the activities of all sub-committees and execution of their goals and report directly to the vice-chancellor’s office on the day-to-da y activities of the COVID-19 task force.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • River state female shot for resisting rape

    Some gunmen suspected to be armed robbers on Wednesday shot their female victim for allegedly resisting a rape attempt on her at Agip Flyover, Rumueme, in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, near the Rivers State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology.

     

    PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim was found in a pool of blood and taken to a medical centre, where she was resuscitated.

     

    Speaking to our correspondent in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the President of the Student Union Government, Rivers State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, Igwe ThankGod, said security guards of the college, who were attracted to the gunshot sound, found the victim and administered first aid to her before the arrival of the police.

    ThankGod added that the assailants escaped after perpetrating the act.

    He said, “Around 9pm, we heard a gunshot around the flyover at Agip Roundabout, close to my school, and when we went out to investigate what happened, we found out that a girl was shot in her hand after she was robbed of her money, phone and all her valuables. The hoodlums were attempting to rape her when our school security came out and rescued her.”

     

    ThankGod called on the police and the Rivers State Government to beef up security around the flyover to avert a recurrence of the incident.

     

    “We contacted the police at the Sani Abacha Road divisional headquarters and a team came and took the girl to a clinic. But before the police came, we had already taken her to the college clinic, but health officials demanded a police report before they would commence treatment on her, so first aid was given to her before the police patrol team came.

     

    “They said they would be taking her to either the police hospital or the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital so that they could attend to the girl in their presence,” he added.

     

    A spokesman for the Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the incident, said he had yet to  get the details.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Insecurity and Food inflation in Nigeria, Finding solutions to poor management

    Insecurity and Food inflation in Nigeria, Finding solutions to poor management

    THE coronavirus pandemic has contributed a lot to the current food inflation ravaging Nigerian families. Coming in February/March, the beginning of the planting season, and forcing a prolonged national lockdown, it prevented many of our farmers from sowing their seeds.

     

    Food inflation, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, rose from 16.66 per cent to 17.38 per cent in September this year and getting worse as the year draws to a close.

     

    General inflation in the economy stands at 14.33 per cent. The prices of staple food items such as yam, garri, pepper, onions, rice, tomatoes and others have gone sky high at a time when the incomes of average families have dwindled or run out altogether due to layoffs and pay cuts.

     

    It promises to be a very bleak Yuletide festive period.

     

    The situation we face could have been much more manageable if the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had made good its campaign promise of solving our security problem which is part of the regime’s three-point agenda: economy, security and anti-corruption.

     

    Indeed, the security situation has worsened under the watch of this regime due mainly to poor management and the kid gloves with which it has treated aspects of our insecurity.

     

    Though the Federal Government often beat its chest that it has dislodged Boko Haram jihadists from their captured territories, the terrorists have multiplied beyond Boko Haram, with the Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, now equally formidable.

     

    The foreign bandits that some evil politicians had brought to fight their turf wars have now turned their guns on residents of states in the North West and North Central, particularly Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna Niger and parts of Kogi.

     

    Also, armed Fulani militias from all parts of Africa masquerading as herdsmen have flooded the forests and farmlands of states in the Middle Belt and South, killing and kidnapping for ransom, robbing, destroying farmlands with their cattle and forcibly settling on people’s lands.

    Curiously, the herdsmen militias are the only terrorist groups that government has refused to tag the terrorists that they are. It has also refrained from deploying the army to flush them out of our bushes.

    All these agents of insecurity marauding all over Nigeria have succeeded in displacing farming communities and making farming unsafe.

    Farmers are afraid to engage in their legitimate occupation. With the closure of the borders and restrictions on food importation, it is not surprising that Nigeria is on the verge of famine.

    If the Federal Government is unwilling to get rid of the armed herdsmen, then it should allow each community to deal with them and allow farmers back to work. Without solving our insecurity problems there are simply no ot her ways out of this problem.

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • Nigeria’s crude oil production fell from 1.33 million to 1.17 million barels per day

    Crude oil production in Nigeria tumbled by 155,000 barrels to a record low in December amid the production cuts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies.

    OPEC disclosed this on Thursday in its report for January, saying a meaningful rise in oil prices would brighten Nigeria’s economic outlook this year.

    The report showed that the country’s oil production fell to 1.17 million barrels per day in December 2020, from 1.33 million bpd in November, based on direct communication.

    According to secondary sources, total crude oil production by the 13-member OPEC averaged 25.36 million bpd in December, up by 280,000 million bpd in the previous month.

    “Crude oil output increased mainly in Libya, Iraq and the UAE, while production decreased primarily in Nigeria, Congo and Angola. Libya’s crude oil output in December rose to 1.22 million bpd, according to secondary sources,” the group said.

    OPEC and its Russia-led allies, a group known as OPEC+, have been curbing output to support prices and reduce oversupply since January 2017.

    The international oil benchmark, Brent crude, rose by $0.27 to $56.33 barrels per day as of 7:30pm Nigerian time on Thursday.

    OPEC noted in the report that Nigeria’s economy entered a recession in the third quarter of 2020 with real GDP contracting by 3.6 per cent year-on-year after a sharp contraction of 6.1 per cent y-o-y in Q2.

    ‌
    “In the meantime, a meaningful rise in oil prices following the recent DoC (Declaration of Cooperation) decisions along with a positive trajectory from COVID-19 vaccines would brighten the 2021 outlook and lay the groundwork for a hopeful medium-term real GDP expansion,” it said.

    The group said oil demand was estimated to have improved toward the end of 2020, mainly due to successful containment measures in major consuming countries in the region.

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • Federal Government disburses N123.3bn to states

    The Federal Government on Wednesday announced the disbursement of another N123.348 billion under its States Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme.

    The money is a performance-based grant to the states.

    The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed this in a statement by Mr. Hassan Dodo, the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, explained that the disbursement followed the achievement of results by the states in the just-concluded 2019 Annual Performance Assessment (APA).

     

    The disbursement came after the recent one in November, 2020, by the Federal Government where N66.5billion was granted to 35 states which achieved results under another new COVID-19 response Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs): the passing of an Amended COVID-19 Responsive 2020 budget by July 31 2020.

     

    The minister observed that since the first disbursement in April 2020, the Federal Government has so far disbursed a total of N233 billion to the states under the $750 million World Bank-Assisted States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme-for-Results.

     

    The assessment, Dodo noted, was carried out by the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) as the Independent Verification Agent (IVA) and approved by the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

     

    According to Ahmed, the disbursement included N91.048 billion of performance-based grants for the 2019 APA results achieved by 32 eligible states across various Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) covering fiscal transparency, accountability, expenditure efficiency, revenue mobilization and debt sustainability. States received the grants in accordance to the number of results achieved, with Sokoto State receiving the highest amount of N6.612billion while Kano State got the lowest amount of N1.710 billion.

     

    “Bayelsa, Imo, Rivers and Zamfara states got zero allocation due to their inability to meet the 2019 eligibility criteria which required states to publish online the approved annual budgets and audited financial statements within a specific timeframe,” she said.

     

    She further noted that the 2019 APA results were a significant improvement on the 2018 APA results where the total performance-based grants of N43.416 billion were received by 24 eligible states, demonstrating the substantive progress which states have made on fiscal reforms.

     

    She disclosed that the second part of the disbursement involved a new COVID-19 response DLI: The implementation of a tax compliance relief programme for individual taxpayers and businesses by states by September 30,  2020 where 34 out of 36 states (only Anambra and Zamfara states missed out) were able to achieve the results for this new DLI for the total of N32.3 billion of grants.    Ahmed reiterated that the World Bank-assisted SFTAS Programme is principally meant to strengthen fiscal management at the state level so as to ensure effective mobilisation and utilisation of financial resources to the benefit of their citizens in a transparent, accountable and sustainable manner, thereby reducing fiscal risks and encouraging a common set of fiscally responsible behaviours.

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com